Supreme Court Observer

⛅️ Good Morning! ⚖️ Last month, the Supreme Court commuted a death sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of remission. In a new feature, we explore the ‘exclusion of remission as an alternative to the death penalty’ approach adopted by the Court: https://bit.ly/3QNlqAr 📚 Our latest newsletter on the same decision revisits the tricky question of mitigating circumstances—an issue that remains unsettled in death penalty jurisprudence: https://bit.ly/4iWTAhc 📑 Yesterday, the top court stayed an Allahabad HC judgement which held that ‘grabbing of breasts and loosening of pyjama string’ did not amount to attempt to rape. Our report: https://bit.ly/442ksYH

🌄 Good Morning! 🏛️ Today, the Supreme Court will hear a case against a recent Allahabad HC judgement which found that "grabbing of breasts and pulling of pyjama string" is not enough to charge a person with attempt to rape. The Court took suo moto cognisance of the issue yesterday. 📜 The Court's use of its suo moto powers has increased over the years. Here's how it was exercised last year: https://bit.ly/4frIdeJ ⚖️ Recently, the Court reserved judgement in a case concerning the process of designating Senior Advocates. Here's everything you need to know: https://bit.ly/4cexbJV 🗣️ Over the weekend, our associate editor Gauri Kashyap moderated a panel on the role of the media in highlighting gender gaps in the judiciary: https://bit.ly/3RqUw1f

🌸 Good Morning! 💵 Today, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear challenges against the Kerala Governor for delays in granting assent to state legislature bills. Here's everything you need to know: https://bit.ly/4apXIBV 🏛️ Yesterday, the SC Collegium recommended the repatriation of Justice Yashwant Varma from Delhi HC to Allahabad HC, after a large amount of cash was found at his official residence during a firefighting operation. A three-member committee is investigating the issue: https://bit.ly/4iTuUGi 👩‍⚖Earlier this month, we examined how a century after gaining the right to practise law in India, women remain the exception, not the norm, in the judiciary's highest ranks. Here's a video summary of our story: https://bitly.cx/zIJe6

🌟 Good Morning! 💵 Piles of currency notes were discovered at the official residence of Justice Yashwant Varma of the Delhi HC during a firefighting operation last week. On Saturday, CJI Sanjiv Khanna formed a three-member committee to investigate the incident. Here's the story so far: https://bit.ly/4iTuUGi ⚖️ A recent Supreme Court judgement commuting a death penalty to life imprisonment reopens the conversation around the role of ‘mitigating circumstances’ in sentencing. More in our newsletter: https://bit.ly/4iWTAhc 📚 In February, the Supreme Court ruled that CrPC provisions would apply to arrests made under revenue statutes like the Customs and GST Acts. We break down the judgement: https://bit.ly/42dn2cZ

🌼 Good Morning! ⚖️ Yesterday, the Supreme Court reserved judgement in a case seeking more transparency in the process of designating Senior Advocates. How does the Court designate a Senior Advocate? Read here: https://bit.ly/4kOfm8z 🎥 In conversation with SCO, Advocate Gautam Bhatia discussed his new book 'The Indian Constitution: Conversations with Power'. His book argues that there is a centralising drift in the power dynamic between the Union and the states. Watch now: https://youtu.be/-2ZZv7kAof4?si=b0MpgNPoar3AbEYO 📩 Do you fancy a crisp weekend newsletter that summarises a pressing legal issue in a simple manner? Then, SCO's Saturday Desk Briefs are for you! Sign up here: https://bit.ly/3rvqmRa

🗞️ Good Morning! 🚓 No more blind arrests under the GST and Customs Acts. A recent ruling of the Court held that CrPC provisions apply to arrests under these revenue laws, ensuring transparency, accountability and judicial oversight. Read our explainer on the verdict: https://bit.ly/42dn2cZ 📽️ Watch advocate and author Gautam Bhatia in conversation with the Supreme Court Observer, discussing his latest book, The Indian Constitution: A Conversation with Power: https://youtu.be/-2ZZv7kAof4?si=b0MpgNPoar3AbEYO 📖 We've also published an exclusive excerpt from the book -- on the autonomy of 'fourth branch' institutions. Read: https://bit.ly/3XQ42yE

🌿 Good Morning! 👨‍⚖️ Earlier this week, Justice Joymalya Bagchi was sworn in as a judge of the Supreme Court. In its recommending resolution, the Collegium expressly factored in that he would be in line to become CJI. We examine this new consideration: https://bit.ly/42g4FEc 🚓 Last month, the Court held that provisions of the CrPC apply to arrests under GST and Customs laws while also clarifying that revenue officers are not “police". More here: https://bit.ly/42dn2cZ 📽️ In our latest interview, advocate and author Gautam Bhatia discussed his new book which argues that there is a centralising drift in the power dynamic between the Union and the states. Watch now: https://youtu.be/-2ZZv7kAof4?si=b0MpgNPoar3AbEYO

🌼 Good Morning! ⚖️ Today a Special Bench is scheduled to hear the suo moto case against an order of the Lokpal which granted itself jurisdiction over High Court judges. Last month, the bench had stayed the order. More: https://bit.ly/3XdSQLW 👨🏻‍⚖️ Yesterday, Justice Joymalya Bagchi took oath as a judge of the Supreme Court. His elevation brings the sitting strength of the Court to 33 out of 34 judges. Justice Bagchi is in line to become the Chief Justice of India in 2031. More: https://bit.ly/4hdPKPm 📩 Recently, the Court reiterated that a rape conviction can be sustained solely on the basis of the prosecutrix’s ‘unshaken’ testimony. Our latest newsletter explores if implementing this principle is straightforward: https://bit.ly/4kAXz4A

🗞️ Good Morning! 💨 Today, the Supreme Court is scheduled to continue monitoring Delhi’s pollution crisis. In the previous hearing, the Court flagged the sluggish transition to cleaner fuels and failures in solid waste management: https://bitly.cx/YFuQi 🥼 The Court is also scheduled to hear the R.G. Kar rape-murder case. In January, the Court reiterated that protesting doctors who resumed work after its 22 August 2024 order wouldn’t be considered absent from duty: https://bit.ly/3WCJh8Y 👨🏻‍⚖ Justice Joymalya Bagchi of the Calcutta HC will be sworn in as a Supreme Court judge today. His appointment was notified by the Union last week. He is in line to become the Chief Justice of India in 2031. Stay tuned for his judge profile on scobserver.in

🌅 Good Morning! 🎙️ *New Interview:* Justice Indira Banerjee, former Supreme Court Judge, retired in 2022. During her tenure, she was part of several Constitution Bench cases. She sat down with SCO to speak about women in the judiciary, what the Court can do to clear pendency and more: https://bit.ly/3XLxllR 📚 *Book Excerpt:* Does the Constitution protect the autonomy of ‘fourth branch’ institutions? In his new book, Indian Constitution: A Conversation with Power, Gautam Bhatia argues that the Constitution facilitates executive control over bodies like the Election Commission of India: https://bit.ly/3XQ42yE 📰 Stay tuned to SCObserver.in for more exclusive interviews!

🌄 Good Morning! ⚖️ Last month, the Supreme Court clarified the law on discharge orders issued by trial courts at the threshold. The Court noted that discharge is on a higher pedestal than acquittal and cautioned appellate courts against restoring arrests lightly. More here: https://bit.ly/4hw77uI 📊 In our recent data story, we found that 90% of the cases filed at the Supreme Court are disposed after admission hearings. This raises the question: Should the Court be more selective about what it hears? More here: https://bit.ly/3QEIktJ 📹 We post crisp video explainers, interviews and case analyses on our YouTube channel! Subscribe now for the latest updates from the Supreme Court: https://bit.ly/3R7frq0

🌼 Good Morning! 👩‍⚖ In our latest newsletter, we examine gender representation at the Bar and on the Bench. A century after women gained the right to practice law in India, they remain the exception and not the norm in the judiciary's highest ranks. Read here: https://bit.ly/4kE9i27 ✒️ Stay ahead of the conversation with SCO’s weekly Desk Briefs—crisp, insightful commentaries on matters concerning the Supreme Court. Subscribe now: https://bit.ly/3rvqmRa 📰 Want to get up to speed? Catch up on February's important developments in our Monthly Review: https://bitly.cx/U4uH 📢 We are hiring! The Supreme Court Observer is looking for Court Reporters and a Social Media Editor. Apply now: https://bitly.cx/hnxq8

🌱 Good Morning! 📉 In February, the Supreme Court's pendency reduced by over 1400 cases, even as the month saw the highest number of cases filed in a February since 2019. More: https://bit.ly/3Fuviwd ⚖️ The Court also reinstated RJD’s Sunil Kumar Singh to the Bihar legislative council. It held that voters cannot be deprived of their right to representation under the guise of expelling a member. More: https://bit.ly/4haNSXD 📰 Our February Review highlights key developments in arbitration, gender justice, states' taxing powers and more: https://bit.ly/4i53jlq

🌄 Good Morning! *Did you know that women won the right to practice law in India only in 1923?* ⚖️ Since then, no doubt more women have joined the profession and set many benchmarks. But has their representation in leadership roles been adequate? 📩 This Women's Day weekend, our newsletter explored how gender representation on the bar and bench leaves a lot to be desired: https://bit.ly/4kE9i27 👩🏻‍⚖️ Over the weekend, we sat down with former Supreme Court judge Indira Banerjee to speak about her time at the Court and the changes she's seen since her retirement two years ago. Stay tuned for the interview! 💬 Meanwhile, here's her message to women in the judiciary on the occasion of International Women's Day: https://bit.ly/4hj9vVB

🌅 Good Morning! 🕵️‍♂️ Today, the top court is scheduled to hear petitions alleging that the Indian government used Pegasus spyware for the surveillance of journalists, activists and public officials. Our case background summarises everything you need to know: https://bitly.cx/KAG4I 🏛️ From arrests to arbitration, gender justice to states' taxing power, February saw the Court tighten oversight and demand accountability. Read our Monthly Review for highlights: https://bit.ly/4i53jlq 📢 *We are hiring!* The Supreme Court Observer is looking for Court Reporters in Delhi and a Social Media Editor to craft our digital voice. If you are passionate about the law and love telling stories, apply now! More details here: https://bitly.cx/hnxq8

📢 Job Alert: Court Reporter (Delhi) – Supreme Court Observer Supreme Court Observer (SCO) is hiring a full-time, in-person Court Reporter based in Delhi! If you're passionate about legal journalism and tracking key Supreme Court cases. Apply now! 📌 Role: Attend SC hearings, write reports, summaries & analysis, and maintain legal document archives. 📌 Requirements: UG in Law or Journalism (Masters preferred), strong writing & research skills, enrolled in the Bar (or eligible). 1-3 years of legal journalism experience preferred. 📌 Deadline: 31 March 2025 📌 Apply: Email your resume, cover letter, writing samples & SOP to careers@scobserver.in with the subject “Application for Court Reporter 2025" Candidates from marginalised groups are encouraged to apply. Share widely! 🔗 More here: https://www.scobserver.in/career/court-reporter-delhi/

💫 Good Morning! ⚖️ Today, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a batch of petitions seeking a review of its judgement in _Vijay Madanlal_ (2022) which upheld several provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. More: https://bit.ly/4i4egDR 🗳️ In a recent judgement, the Court relied on the doctrine of proportionality to reinstate RJD’s Sunil Kumar Singh to the Bihar Legislative Council. The Court also emphasised the voters’ right to representation in the House. More: https://bit.ly/4haNSXD ⏪ In February, the top court saw a diverse docket of cases, including a Constitution Bench. Our monthly review brings you the key highlights: https://bit.ly/4i53jlq

Good Morning! 🎙️ Earlier this week, the Supreme Court permitted YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia to resume his show on the condition that he follows standards of "morality" and "decency". More here: https://bitly.cx/tj34 ▶️ Previously, the top court had slammed Allahbadia for his "obscene" remarks, while granting him interim protection. Here's our coverage: https://bit.ly/42VSeOS 📩 We analysed the Court's past directions in his case and their ramifications on free speech here: https://bit.ly/434xAw3 🙏🏽 Thank you for following our daily updates and for being an engaged, interested community of readers. Write to us at admin@scobserver.in with any suggestions or feedback!

🗞️ Good Morning! 🏛️ Today, top court is scheduled to continue monitoring the implementation of its 2024 judgement prohibiting discrimination in prisons. Here's what happened in the last hearing: https://bit.ly/3CN2T3Q 🎙️Yesterday, the Court permitted YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia to resume his show on the condition that he follows standards of "morality" and "decency". The Court also urged the Union to propose a framework to regulate but not censor content: https://bitly.cx/tj34 📩 Read our latest newsletter yet? It explores a recent judgement that highlighted the need for a more sensitive work environment for women in the judiciary: https://bit.ly/3QDapBA

🌅 Good Morning! Last week, a Division Bench reinstated two women civil judges whose employment was terminated by the MP High Court during probation. The top court's decision highlighted the need for a more sensitive work environment for women in the judiciary: https://bit.ly/3QDapBA 📊 Our latest Court Data study reveals that over 65% of the pending cases at the Supreme Court are stuck at the admission stage. The numbers raise the question whether the Court should be more selective in what it hears: https://bit.ly/3QEIktJ 🎙️ Today, the Court is scheduled to hear YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia’s case. In the previous hearing, it stayed further FIR registrations and barred him from doing any more shows “till further orders”: https://bit.ly/42VSeOS